


the glow of a firefly

by yeastlings



Series: written in the sand [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Apologies, Established Relationship, Fights, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Miya Atsumu Has ADHD, Romantic Fluff, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23608498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeastlings/pseuds/yeastlings
Summary: Atsumu and Hinata visit Hinata's family for the new year's. Despite Atsumu's best efforts, things go a little awry.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu
Series: written in the sand [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691410
Comments: 22
Kudos: 226





	the glow of a firefly

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of a series but it can stand on its own, so you don't have to read the previous one in order to know what's going on. Cheers!

Miya Atsumu knew that he had many flaws. First of all, contrary to what Osamu said, he did have self awareness. Second of all, even if he didn’t, Hinata would be there to remind him that he was boorish, thoughtless, and overly prideful. And so what if he was all of those things? At least he could acknowledge it and apologize when his behavior crossed over from “annoying but still lovable” to “rude and unacceptable.” That was more than he could say for Hinata himself.

Hinata only looked cute on the outside. On the inside, he was a devil with a stubborn streak several kilometers wide, and trying to make him acknowledge that he was wrong usually riled Atsumu up so much that he stormed out of the apartment until he cooled down.

It wasn’t that Hinata didn’t want to admit to being wrong; he just honest to god didn’t _believe_ that he was wrong. To be fair, this didn’t often happen because Hinata was in general observant and considerate of people’s feelings. But on the rare occasions when he fixated on the idea that something or someone was being unfair, it was his way or the highway—and Atsumu was currently on the highway.

Well, technically he was on the back porch of Hinata’s childhood home in the Miyagi mountainside. He was not sulking. He was taking a moment to collect himself because he was an adult and he no longer let his sewage water spew everywhere whenever he was upset. Sure, he was taking an awful long time to collect himself. It had been twenty minutes; he knew that Hinata’s temper was rattling the lid dangerously at this point. But he had a right, and Hinata could deal with it.

The two of them were visiting Hinata’s mom and little sister for the new year’s. Atsumu had honestly dreaded it, but he could tell that Hinata missed his family so he’d agreed to go for a week during their vacation. Hinata had reassured him that his mom knew Atsumu was his boyfriend—Hinata had introduced her to Kageyama back when he and Kageyama were dating in high school, and that had doubled as a public service announcement that he liked boys.

Knowing Hinata, it wasn’t like his mom had any other choice but to take it in stride. He always did exactly what he wanted, and you either got in line or got left in the dust. According to Hinata, his mom had gotten so in line that she’d even taken a real shine to Kageyama. Therefore, he was confident that she would like Atsumu as well.

Except she hadn’t. Atsumu could tell as soon as he walked into the house and her eyes widened at the sight of his bleached hair. Her mouth even fell into a little ‘o’ before she quickly rearranged it into a smile and said, “Welcome home, Shouyou. And you must be Atsumu-kun. It’s wonderful to meet you at last. Why don’t the two of you go get washed up and then we’ll sit down for lunch?”

In the bathroom, Hinata kissed Atsumu and said, “It’s going to be okay. She’ll get over the hair. Besides, I think it makes you look super cool. Like a bad boy.”

“Shouyou-kun,” Atsumu said, sighing. “Why do you gotta embarrass me like that?”

It pleased him though, so he was on his best behavior at the beginning of lunch. He said his thanks before digging into the food and complimented Hinata’s mom on how good it tasted. Hinata did have to nudge his foot under the table to remind him not to shovel food into his mouth (“Like you were raised in the woods,” he’d said once with a fond sigh), but Atsumu took the criticism with grace and chewed more deliberately.

His efforts won Natsu over, at least. She asked him how he maintained his hair (“Kaa-san says I can’t bleach my hair because I’ll fry it, but yours looks really healthy!”) and wanted to know everything from his favorite food to whether he had any embarrassing stories about Hinata’s time with the Black Jackals.

“Natsu-chan, I’m always cool,” Hinata insisted.

“Heh, ‘cept for that time you served into Omi-kun’s head.”

“The serve toss just got away from me a little!”

Atsumu chortled. “You got too excited ‘cause the other team had a lot of cheerleaders.” Cute cheerleaders, Hinata had said. Not that Atsumu had noticed, but he would take Hinata’s word for it.

Natsu made a face. “Ew, nii-chan.”

Hinata’s face almost matched the color of his hair. Atsumu took pity on him and said, “Well, s’not like he’s the only one who messes up. We all do. Maybe me not as much, but there was this one time were were playin’ EJP Raijin…”

The punchline of this story was that Sakusa had been distracted by Komori, like he always was whenever he was within a twenty-feet radius of the libero. Atsumu didn’t really get it because if he and Hinata ever happened to be on opposite sides of the net again, they would go all out. But Komori had said something to Sakusa before the game that made him twitchy, and then he’d focused so much on avoiding Raijin’s blockers that his cross shot hit the net and landed back on the Jackals’ side of the court—and Meian’s face.

Atsumu gleefully detailed Meian’s bloody nose and Sakusa’s utter humiliation. He was in the middle of re-enacting how Sakusa had bowed repeatedly and apologized in his sullen voice when he looked over and saw a small frown on Hinata’s face. Shit. He’d gotten carried away again. Was his voice too loud? Was the story not appropriate for the situation?

Atsumu clamped his mouth shut and an awkward silence descended until Natsu said, “That’s a pretty funny story. Anyway…do you have siblings, Atsumu-san?”

Atsumu unglued his mouth with some difficulty. It was one thing to get too excited during a volleyball game, or when he was with his friends. Right now he was trying to impress Hinata’s mom. He spoke more slowly, trying to be aware of the volume. “Just my twin brother, Samu. Er, I mean, Osamu. Samu’s a nickname we made up ‘cause we had a friend with a Western name and we thought it sounded super cool.”

“Osamu-san used to play volleyball, too,” Hinata added. “He and Atsumu-san made a really strong team back in high school.”

Natsu stared at Atsumu with wide brown eyes that were a mirror image of her brother’s. “How come your brother doesn’t play anymore?”

Atsumu fiddled with his chopsticks. He’d come to terms with Osamu’s decision, but it still ached to remember that first inkling of insecurity worming into his chest when Osamu had said that he was going to pursue a career in food service. A real career, was what Atsumu had heard at the time. Not a kid’s hobby.

Swallowing down the memory, he smiled and said, “He found something he wanted to do more. He has his own business now. Dunno if you’ve heard about Miya Onigiri. Samu claims it’s ultra famous or whatever, but he could just be makin’ things up.”

Natsu’s face lit up. “Ooh, I thought your last name sounded familiar! I see pictures of Miya Onigiri all the time on Pinstagram! The food looks really delicious. Can you cook, too, Atsumu-san?”

Hinata snorted, the rude little bastard. “I’m lucky if Atsumu-san can grill meat without burning it.”

“Hey! That was one time!”

“Okay, then what about the time you left the congee on the stove for too long and it practically fused with the pot?”

Even Hinata’s mom smiled at that, though it was more out of bemusement than anything else. Atsumu’s ears burned.

Hinata stroked his knee underneath the table. It was supposed to be comforting, but Atsumu didn’t feel like accepting the apology. Hinata didn’t mean anything bad by teasing him. He could be a condescending little shit about Atsumu’s shortcomings, and though that behavior had sprung up naturally, the dynamic that they had developed from it was built on the knowledge that Hinata loved Atsumu exactly the way he was.

Also, Atsumu would be a stinking liar if he said he didn’t get off on being treated like an unruly dog whose antics were forgiven because he was so adorable. He knew that at the end of the day, Hinata thought he was as amazing as Atsumu thought Hinata was.

But this wasn’t about Hinata. It was about Hinata’s mom, who’d gotten a bad impression from his hair alone. A bad impression that definitely wouldn’t change if Hinata brought up things like Atsumu’s disastrous cooking skills. Atsumu loved Hinata, but he was well aware that only Hinata was demented enough to think that ruining cooking pots was cute. Sane people like his mom would think that Atsumu had no other skills besides volleyball.

Which, okay, he normally wouldn’t care about. He was _awesome_ at volleyball, which was what really counted. But apparently Hinata’s mom had liked Kageyama Japan National Representative Tobio, who, on top of also having volleyball as his singular accomplishment, couldn’t even string two sentences together without looking constipated. What did he have that Atsumu didn’t? Probably the look of a proper young Japanese man. Maybe Hinata’s mom thought that Kageyama’s constipation was him being quiet and well-mannered.

Well, shit. Atsumu could change his hair, but he couldn’t change that he was loud and talkative and, occasionally, crass. And now Hinata’s mom thought he couldn’t do basic household chores, either. Atsumu poked at the food on his plate and deliberately ignored Hinata’s attempts to coax him back into the conversation for the rest of lunch.

Afterwards, he said he needed some fresh air and went out onto the porch. He could feel Hinata boring holes into the back of his neck, but he slid the door shut with a loud click and sat stubbornly facing the backyard and, beyond it, the wooded mountainside. He just needed to take a couple of deep breaths, and then he would be okay. It wouldn’t take long at all.

At the thirty-minute mark, Hinata came outside and stood next to him with his arms crossed.

Refusing to look at him was probably immature, so Atsumu forced himself to stare at a spot on Hinata’s forehead and said, with all the pleasantness he could muster, “Hey, Shouyou-kun.”

“Atsumu-san.” He sure was steamed. His eyebrows slanted down at a lethal angle, and his voice was tight with the restraint he was using to keep it at a civil volume.

A smidgen of guilt crept into Atsumu’s stomach. The teasing hadn’t been that big of a deal. He would just ask Hinata to lay off on it a little, and then he could get off the highway and back into Hinata’s good graces.

Before he could say anything, Hinata spoke again. “You’re being really childish right now, you know that?”

The guilt withered and died in a surge of indignation. Hinata hadn’t even come out here to try and make up; he’d come to pick a fight! Well, Atsumu was happy to oblige him.

He scoffed and looked Hinata in the eye. Oh, yeah, he was definitely steamed. Like he hadn’t been the one who started all of this. “No, I don’t know that. Why don’tcha explain it for me?”

Hinata’s mouth opened for a full five seconds before he closed it with an audible click of teeth. “Seriously?” he hissed. He was still trying to keep his voice at a reasonable volume, but Atsumu could tell that he was on his way to shouting. “We’re visiting my family and you decide go to off and have a sulk? You didn’t even offer to help with the dishes!”

“‘M not sulking! I was just. Taking a moment to collect myself.”

“You’ve been out here for half an hour!”

“Okay, fine! So what? I’m allowed to take some time when my feelings are hurt.”

To Atsumu’s disbelief, Hinata snorted and stared up at the sky like he was begging it to witness what was happening to him. “Atsumu-san, I already told you that my mom will get over the hair. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

This time, it was Atsumu who stared at Hinata with his mouth open like an idiot. Did Hinata think that he was a five-year-old throwing a tantrum because someone hadn’t wanted to be his best friend?

He clenched his jaw and said through gritted teeth, “So how long d’you suppose it’ll take her to get over thinking that I have no manners and apparently no fucking life skills?”

Hinata’s eyes widened and he uncrossed his arms. “Wait—“

The screen door slid open and Natsu stepped out onto the porch. “Nii-chan, Kaa-san’s making me go to the grocery store to pick up some stuff for dinner and you have to go with me. I’m not going to carry all of it by myself when it’s not even—oh.” She held up her hands. “Whoops, sorry. Pretend I wasn’t here.”

“I’ll go with ya.”

Atsumu stood up and stretched. He shoved his hands into his pockets and didn’t look at Hinata as he walked over to Natsu and said, “I’m bigger than Shouyou-kun, so I can carry more stuff.” 

“Oh. Um. Are you sure?”

“Yup. C’mon, Natsu-chan, let’s go before it gets too late.”

Natsu still looked uncertain, but she nodded and trotted off, calling out, “I’ll meet you at the door. See you later, nii-chan!”

Atsumu glanced over his shoulder. Hinata was still standing there, his expression wavering between regret and anger. If Atsumu changed his mind, they could make up before dinner—or they could just as easily descend into a shouting match.

He blew air out between his teeth. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m just gonna take some time to cool off, okay? I promise I’ll be on my best behavior when Natsu-chan and I get back.”

He didn’t wait for Hinata’s response before sliding the door shut and walking off.

*

Atsumu ran into Hinata’s mom in the entrance hallway. Had Natsu told her about his fight with Hinata? He really wasn’t off to a good start with this visit.

To his surprise, Hinata’s mom said, “Thank you for going with Natsu.”

“Oh. Uh. You’re welcome? I already told Natsu-chan that it’s no problem. I gotta stretch my legs anyway.”

“She knows how to take care of herself, but it does get dark rather early this time of year. I’ll feel better knowing she’s with you.”

Atsumu didn’t know how he was supposed to respond to that, but thankfully he didn’t have to. Hinata’s mom patted him on the arm before leaving him in the hallway with an impatient Natsu, who dragged him out the door. Atsumu matched his long strides to her shorter ones and let her lead the way.

Hinata’s mom saying that was a good thing, right? It meant she trusted him, even if it was for something as small as walking Natsu to and from the grocery store. Atsumu had a hard time figuring out what people thought of him, just like he had a hard time realizing when his voice had gotten too loud. He’d always been excitable—aggressive, Kita had called him. That was why his old teammates hadn’t liked him, but it hadn’t mattered because being aggressive made him good at volleyball. Besides, Aran and Osamu liked him plenty, and Osamu himself was aggressive no matter how hard he tried to play it cool.

But Osamu, at least, knew when to hold back. Whether it was staying home from practice when he didn’t feel well or keeping unflattering opinions to himself, he could go quiet and closed off at the drop of a hat. It drove Atsumu nuts. What was the point of holding back just because people didn’t like a little bit of mess? It was only when he got older that he realized holding back wasn’t about playing nice with people he didn’t give a shit about—it was about being good for people who did matter, like his teammates who were giving their all. Or his boyfriend, who wanted everyone else to love Atsumu as much as he did.

Atsumu sighed and kicked a rock along the path. Life could be so fucking complicated sometimes.

Natsu, who had been glancing at him now and then, asked, “So, what were you and nii-chan fighting about?”

Atsumu scratched his cheek and averted his gaze. “Who says we were were fighting?”

“Uh, then you were having a normal conversation where both of you just happened to be glaring at each other?”

“We weren’t glaring!”

Natsu raised an eyebrow.

Atsumu sighed. What was with people named Hinata and not letting go of anything? “All right, fine. We were fighting. S’not a big deal or anything. I’m gonna apologize when we get back.”

“Why? If it’s about what happened at lunch, nii-chan was being a jerk. He’s the one who should apologize.”

Atsumu changed his mind: Natsu was nothing like Hinata. She was an angel. “You gonna tell him that? I’d love to see what kinda face he makes.”

“Maybe I will! It’s not fair that you have to apologize.”

Her heartfelt indignation lifted some of his gloomy mood. Ruffling her hair, he said, “You’re a good kid. But I’m still gonna apologize.”

“You’re being way nicer than nii-chan deserves. _Someone needs to tell him when he’s being pigheaded_.”

She patted her hair down, but her smile was pleased and her wary posture had relaxed. Atsumu realized that he wasn’t the only one who’d been hoping to impress today. The flash of maturity gave him an out-of-body experience.

He hummed, searching for the right words. “You’re right about him being pigheaded. But fighting usually isn’t about one person bein’ right and the other one wrong. Sometimes you just butt heads ‘cause you’re not on the same page. Shouyou-kun was probably nervous about today, too, and me goin’ off like that didn’t make a good impression on your mom.”

He was really on a roll with the maturity today. Hinata ought to be proud of him.

“Huh.” Natsu was silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful. “I guess you’ve got a point. Then it’s good that you’re going with me! You can carry everything back and impress my mom with how strong and reliable you are.”

“Uh, Natsu-chan? I think your mom already figures I can carry heavy stuff, what with being big and all.”

“It’s the thought that counts. Besides, I’m sure there are lots of other things you’re good at. Like volleyball! I watched a recording of one of the Black Jackals’ games and you looked super cool while serving.”

“Natsu-chan,” Atsumu said fervently, “from now on, you’re my favorite Hinata.”

Over the course of buying groceries, Atsumu discovered that Natsu was an athletic monster like her brother. Rather than committing to one sport, however, she dabbled in several including volleyball. There was a local rec team she was interested in joining, and Atsumu promised to teach her how to do a jump floater so she could blow everyone away. Much to Natsu’s delight, he also carried all of the bags home.

When they got back, she volunteered him to help with washing and peeling the vegetables, and dashed out of the kitchen as soon as Hinata’s mom accepted the offer. She and Atsumu were sitting in a mostly-comfortable silence when Hinata came into the kitchen and sat across from Atsumu.

“Shouyou, perfect. Can you help Atsumu-kun with the potatoes?”

Hinata’s mom sounded relieved. Even if Natsu hadn’t told her about the fight, the tension between him and Hinata was palpable. Atsumu hunched over the potato in his hand and concentrated very hard on making sure the peeler didn’t take off too much of the flesh.

“Oh. Yeah.”

Hinata’s chair scraped back. There was the rattle of cutlery and then he was sitting across from Atsumu again, a paring knife in hand. They peeled the potatoes in complete silence, and Atsumu squirmed with impatience. He was going to apologize, he really was, but it was way too awkward with Hinata’s mom there clearly waiting for some kind of resolution to the stormy atmosphere.

After his third potato and Hinata’s seventh, he cleared his throat. “Shouyou-kun—”

“Thanks for helping with dinner, Atsumu-san,” Hinata said loudly. He turned to his mom. “Atsumu-san helps me with the cooking at home, too. Like with cutting the vegetables and stuff.”

Atsumu stared. Hinata gave him a little smile.

“Takes me a long time though,” he finally managed to get out.

Hinata’s mom came to collect the peeled potatoes—Hinata’s smooth and round, Atsumu’s like the cratered moon—and said, “Everything takes practice. I can tell you’re used to that, though.” She smiled, and Atsumu realized where Hinata got his warmth from.

He ducked his head, suddenly embarrassed. “I guess. I mean, yeah. Um. It’s the least I can do when you’re havin’ me over. Thanks.”

Hinata patted his knee. Atsumu didn’t look up, only reached over and squeezed Hinata’s hand in acknowledgement.

*

The remainder of Atsumu and Hinata’s visit went by without incident, except for when Natsu broke Hinata’s heart by declaring that only Atsumu was allowed to walk her to the grocery store (“He carries everything, unlike you, nii-chan!”). Atsumu had to buy strawberry and orange-flavored candy on every trip so he could bribe Hinata to forget that Natsu had crowned Atsumu her new and most favorite older brother.

Atsumu got through teaching Natsu how to do a jump floater without saying anything insensitive—even if he did have to bite his tongue and count to ten every time his impatience rose. Hinata, who watched them from the back porch, looked mistily proud. By the time Hinata and Atsumu had to go home, Natsu had the form down and was working on her consistency. She promised to text Atsumu about how things with the rec team went (“Do I even exist anymore?” Hinata lamented).

Atsumu was relieved to finally get some privacy with Hinata, but to his surprise, he was also a little sad to see Natsu and Hinata’s mom receding from view as the bus trundled away. Then the bus turned the corner, and there was only the craggy mountain face.

They watched volleyball clips and Kageyama’s latest endorsement commercials on Hinata’s phone until Hinata gave a big yawn. Atsumu laughed and Hinata slapped his arm before settling his head in the crook of his shoulder with a contented little sigh. Atsumu glanced around, but the other passengers weren’t paying attention. Well, even if they did, they would probably think that Hinata was his little brother or something equally stupid. Atsumu imagined Osamu doing something similar and gagged.

“What’s with that noise, Atsumu-san?” Hinata already sounded sleepy. He knocked out easily whenever he got to cuddle Atsumu.

“Nothin’. Just thought about Samu’s ugly face.”

“Why in the world are you thinking about Osamu-san?”

“I’ll tell ya later. You should sleep now.”

Hinata’s head grew heavy on his shoulder. Atsumu thought he’d fallen asleep, but after a few minutes Hinata mumbled, “Is this uncomfortable?”

Was he talking about his head being heavy, or other people staring? Not that Atsumu cared either way: he liked how easily Hinata slept against him, and everyone here was a stranger. When they got home in a few hours, he would have the pain-in-the-ass job of dealing with a grumpy, half-awake Hinata Shouyou who got snippy with him for everything. Atsumu could sense one of their mini-spats on the horizon—the kind that was resolved within ten minutes when Hinata climbed into his lap and demonstrated how very sorry he was.

For now, though, he was snoring away peacefully on Atsumu’s shoulder. Atsumu wished he could stroke the soft tufts of his hair, but that would probably be too much even for their oblivious fellow passengers. He settled for whispering, “It’s okay. Sleep well, Shouyou-kun,” and looking out the window to distract himself. Through the glass pane, the landscape of Hinata’s childhood unfurled like the wings of some gigantic bird readying for flight. Atsumu drank in the details, and settled in for the ride.

**Author's Note:**

> (Title is from the lyrics of IU's "Through the Night.") 
> 
> It is my very special and very personal head canon that Atsumu has ADHD. I didn't explicitly name it in the story because it's not my preference to give a primer on the things that make us different. Rather, I wanted to tell a story about someone who struggles with modulating his voice and emotions, gets hyperactive when he does something he loves, and, in general, doesn't know when NOT to go all out--things many people with ADHD are familiar with. More importantly, I wanted to tell a story about how he tries his best to manage those things, all with the support of someone who loves him for exactly how he is.
> 
> Does Atsumu take medicine for his ADHD? Probably not, because as far as I can tell from research there's not much support for individuals with ADHD in Japan. He's also a pro athlete, and the use of stimulants (which is what most ADHD meds are) by pro athletes is contentious pretty much everywhere. As you can imagine, he Struggles every day. 
> 
> Thank you for making it all the way to the end. I hope it was an enjoyable ride! My moon sign is Oikawa Tooru, and thus I love any and all attention in the form of kudos and comments. If you want to talk, I'm on Twitter @ninetalesk. Feel free to pop by and ask me more about Atsumu's ADHD, or why the fuck Sakusa was so twitchy during that game versus EJP Raijin. 
> 
> Oh, and if you want to see more work from me: subscribe to my author page! I'm in Haikyuu!! hell and have Too Many stories planned.


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